Our good friend Terry Carr's recent posts regarding his bad luck with subject critter, plus all the interest generated in this little animal, I thought I would share my recent and very lucky success with them. I am by no means a "bushbuck expert," but after hunting them solidly for five days, I think I get the picture.

Bushbucks are very territorial and that is probably their main weakness. We hunted them in two diferent places, a dry riverbed with plenty of cover and the lush reed and bamboo thickets in and around the lake malangani dam complex. On the first attempt we hunted the dry riverbeds and almost immediately we saw two males that were not of trophy quality and the skeletal remains of another one whose horns measured an incredible 17 1/2". I thought this was going to be easy. Famous last words....

Later that afternoon and for the rest of the time ( five days), we never saw any again. We were also hunting the lake/dam and we always managed to see at least four of five, but from a distance and ususally they were females.
We did spot two males, one of which I eventually killed, but getting to within rifle range was another story. In order to reach them after spotting from the heights of the Kopjes, we had to make our way through the thick reeds and estimate where they were along with wind direction. Well they have a good "ally" in the bushpig as they invariably would detect us and come boiling out of the reeds in all directions.

That was fun and I eventually took a nice one late one evening. Anyhow, we decided to use another tactic, and that was using a bass boat to spot game. This worked well as the animals tended to ignore us. Our strategy was once we spotted our quarry, we would aaproach using the electric motor, then disembark on a nearby little beach and proceed from there. One afternoon aroud 1400 or so we saw a nice buck we had spotted previously and made our approach. It took us about an hour of very slowly "sneaking and peaking" around the reeds until I was able to get an offhand shot at about 80 yards or so, slightly quartering away. At the shot he bolted into the water, but quickly turned around and went into the bush. I was hunting with John Sharp's apprentice PH, Quinn and his expression was not a good one. He said "I think you shot him in the guts." Fortunately our tracker's razor-sharp eyes said otherwise and uttererd "he's down!". Post mortem indicated the buck had begun to turn further away as I squeezed the trigger and while the shot did go in a bit far back, it angled through the chest cavity and exited in front of the off shoulder. It wasn;t a fair fight, a 300 Weatherybs with Nosler Partitions plowed right through and is probably still going.

In any event most of you have seen the picture before but I am very proud of him and his 16" horns. Mlangani has an abundance of bushbuck but I felt very fortunate with my trophy. Enjoy, jorge

A very nice specimen indeed and taken after a truely worthy hunt.

Another great photo.

Thanks.

Beautiful bushbuck.

Nice post and even nicer bushbuck!

Are you going to life size mount him?

A big bushbuck in high on my priority list for next trip. I'd love to take a sitagunga eventually, although it seems as if nobody hunts them. I think the bass boat technique would do well on them as well.

I'm a sucker for spiral horns!

Stagman: Yes iplanto full mount him, but I haven't made up my mind as to standing or lying down. Maybe our fellow members that already have bushbuck mounts can post some of theirs. jorge

Jorge,

McKenzie makes a neat running bushbuck, but I can't seem to find it.

Here's their list, which has some neat stuff.

http://www.mckenziesp.com:80/taxid_store/smart_catalog_...8MU4K0CF26XPPQA2AU53

I think a table top pedestal would be neat as well.

That's a terrific bushbuck, Jorge, congratulations!

Not to take ANYTHING away from your great animal....but was it possible for you to keep the 17.5" pick-up? That is an amazing animal and I would have shoulder mounted him with the cape of another in a heartbeat! Just curious.

As for mounts, I have always thought maybe an action packed scene of a leopard or lioness in the process of taking one down would be neat.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

Jorge, that is a great trophy bushbuck, and the results of a well-executed hunt, pure and simple. You and John worked as a good team, and you both came through.

Bushbuck are sort of extreme animals to hunt. They're secretive, potentially dangerous, and despite the fact that they are very territorial, they are usually uncooperative and they're completely unpredictable. They are just about as wary was vaal rhebok and mountain Reedbuck, and just as tough to hunt, only you have to be even luckier with buskbuck than the others. Bushbuck can break your heart, or else they can make your safari.

The closest bushbuck I ever was fortunate enough to take was a Masiland bushbuck in Tanzania. He thought he was hidden in a thicket, but I managed to find a place to slip in a bullet and he was mine.

The longest shot I've had on bushbuck was a Cape bushbuch in RSA, which I shot across a wide canyon, and there was just a small part of him to aim at. Luckiliy, it was the right part, and we found him where I shot him after a long, winding climb. He was really old, and had just a couple of teeth left, but plenty of ticks!

The most heartbreaking episode for me was with a Limpopo bushbuck in RSA. PH Mike Curry (Garry Kelly Safaris) and I hunted bushbuck for an entire day, and finally found a monsterous specimen -- the biggest live bushbuck I've ever seen in Africa -- laying under a tree, not quite 100 yds. away. It would have been relatively simple to put up the sticks and drill him. The trouble was, he was across a fence from us on property we had no right to hunt. So we had no choice but to let him go...........

AD

Really nice "Barking Deer"!!!

I popped 2 on this last trip completely by accidental encounters...Had we been TRYING to hunt the little rascals, we most likely would have ended-up with "0"!!! They are really trickly little b-tards to get up on. In my case we got lucky and rounded a bend and there stood the unsuspecting buck....nailed one with my .470! That's how close and how lucky we got!

Your hunt seems to be the more "typical" scenario - lots of work!

Great job and thanks for shooting one that makes mine look like a "Girlie-Buck"...

Jeff

Allen and Jeff: Thanks for the compliments and the great stories! this is exactly waht i wanted to foment with this post, more stories and hopefully some mounted trophies, So what do you guys think, standing or lying down? jorge

Of the Plains game I've taken in SA I enjoyed the bushbuck hunting the best.

That`s a beautiful Bushbuck! I write Bushbuck with captital B, because he really deserves so...
I`ve been after them a couple of days with no luck, seeing only females and small ones..

One day...

I vote for standing position. With grass, reeds etc around him...

jorge,

Great photo and super bushbuck. I know you had a terffic hunt with John. Cannot wait for my return trip.
Bobga

Jorge,

Standing up for sure...Remember this little fella has a nasty reputation for going down fighting...

...I'd have him done up in some sort of "head cocked" ready to charge posture....wonder what that really loooks like...apparently the little guys have messed-up quite a few folks over the years when wounded....might make for a cool mount if done properly...

Jeff

Anybody hasve any pics? Bob, when are you going back. I'm looking at 07 for leopard. jorge

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Anybody hasve any pics?

I found a couple on the web -- not mine:

One more:

Jorge,

Thanks for posting your story of the bushbuck hunt. Sounds like a wonderful hunt. Hopefully this will be my year for bushbuck in Limpopo. We had hunted for 5 days, knew they were right there, but could not get a look at one. Make me want to hunt them that much more this year. You took a very nice buck.

BigBullet

Jorge,

You should look in African wildlife books, sometimes you can find a really nice pose from a live animal or something that gives you an idea of a pose. Don't go by what forms that can be bought, you have time, find something that really strikes you. You have a increditable trophy there, do him justice!

I have taken 3 rams, I'm doing action mounts on two, one is going to be a dead mount with my Leopard, (not much action in something dead)

Good going Jorge!

Jorge

I am due to receive a full mounted chobe bushbuck almost any day now. I do not even know what pose it is in, so hopefully a nice surprise.

NitroX: We'd all be interested in seeing the final product. SHow us a picture when you get it. jorge

You gotta love Bushbuck. My limpopo Bushbuck measured 16 7/8" X 17 1/8". They are truely crafty and one of my favorite trophys.

]

Beginner's Luck Bushbuck - took this little guy on the FIRST day of my 12-day hunt with John Sharp in 2002.




John spotted him while glassing from a koppie close the the back side of the big "dam" at Malangani. We were actually killing a little time as the trackers were off following eland spoor looking to see if any bulls had been using the area for water. We collected the trackers and eased over to the area John saw the bushbuck and found him cavorting with a female. My first African trophy!!!

Better to be lucky than good as they say.

Phil

]

This is my first one from last year.

I shot a 16.5 incher, a RSA cape bushbuck, my son shot a 15.5 inch Chobe last year in Zim..
They are a really handsome trophy..

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
NitroX: We'd all be interested in seeing the final product. SHow us a picture when you get it. jorge

As requested.

Full mounted Chobe Bushbuck from the Gwayi Valley.
Taken August, 2002Outfitter Pierre van Wyk and Nemba Safaris.
Taxidermist - Gary Pegg, South Pacific Taxidermy.





.

NitroX -- very nice!

The forth one down (in the first grouping) is very similar to mine except I have the head turned to the right.

They are a natural for a PA boy. My cousins and I did a drive for bushbuck with a little local help. They lay up in cover and try to let you go by. If jumped they take off at top speed for a short distance and try to sneak back to where they started out from. It took quite a bit of work to finally get a shot at one. I blanked and they are to this day the trophy I want the most.

We tried staking out water holes with a bow as well but they wouldn't come in. I don't know if they ever drink water.

Being Lucky to have shot 12 bushbuck rams so far which I must say must be one of my favorites I cannot call myself an expert and have no experience of the Cape Bushbuck.

Bu of the limpopo bushbuck I can say that I have found two different looking bushbuck the one one being bigger in body and lighter in colour while the other much darker with striking white marks. Usually the darker one also don't carry heavy horns like the other although I have shot a 16" but the other usually have longer horns with less turn and much thicker bases.

This is waht I have picked up from the Waterberg region Ellisras area and surrounding. They are lazy animals and when they run they will dart away for a short distance untill they find suitable cover. Waiting for 5 minutes or so and going to the place you last spotted him will usually award you with another look and if you are quick enough a shot.

All of the bushbuck I have shot was in broad daylight from 7am to 5pm in the afternoon and all done on foot in the mountains usually close to permanent water. A lot of time and slow going is tha way to go walking 10 steps stop and look, listen. Only once did I screw up a shot a bit hiting the ram in the liver and it went down 50 meters later my dog was with me and went staright to the buck without noticing him because he was lying dead quiet with his head held up. When he was a yard or so away the buck jumped up headbutted him and ran away and gave me another chance of a shot. My dog was very lucky that he didn't drop his horns and it was with such close proximity that he was in my firing line that I couldn't shoot.

That was the only time the bushbuck was offence. The other time was with CChunter when we walked in closer to his bushbuck pictured in the post as a full mount we had to walk around him to get a clean firing line as he was next to the cornfields and buildings close by we were 8 meters from him when I told CChunter to make sure of his shot he couldn't go backwards and the only way for him was towards us luckily all ended up well and that was one of the most exiting hunts we ever had.

Great hunt, great trophy and wonderful story!
Thanks!
I only had room for this half body.

Posted 21 October 2004 16:32
I just finished this mount of my bushbuck and thought I would share it with y'all.
It was taken two years ago in SA while on a ten day bowhunt.
I am trying a new way to post the pic, so if it does not work, you may have to try going to the link.
"http://www.opticstalk.com/photoserver/images/photos/249.jpg":

quote:

Originally posted by bo-n-aro:
I am trying a new way to post the pic, so if it does not work, you may have to try going to the link.

After 11 safaris and no bushbuck in the bag you guys are rubbing salt in my wounds. Thanks!



465H&H

THANKS Charles for posting my mount!!
This is a bushbuck I took while bowhunting in RSA. I was very proud after taking this animal as it was the first in five years from a bow hunting only ranch.
I saw a few others after I took this guy and one was a monster!!!
Thanks again Charles

quote:

Originally posted by bo-n-aro:
THANKS Charles for posting my mount!!

My pleasure -- it is a very nice and unusual mount.

Guys,

You killing me with these posts. 10 more days and I'm on my wat to Limpopo to hunt bushbuck primarily. I would sure like to take one like some of these pictures.

BigBullet

Big Bullet: Good luck on your hunt. All I an tell you is what I observed in 5 hard days of hunting them and that is that they stick to a schedule and like to reside where there is lots of permanent water and in the thick reeds that surround it. So much so that I often wonder why they don't call bushbucks "reedbucks" and reedbucks "bushbucks" as they both appaear to be confused with their habitat! jorge

BigBullet, If you have problems finding a bushbuck give John Henry Keyser, of Great Land Safari a call and he may beable to help get you on one. He is outside of Thabazimbi.
Tell him Don from Dallas told you to call him!
Good luck on your hunt!